Superb acting and direction, excellent cinematography, and a plot "twist" you can see coming from a mile away -- with a really cheap final line, "I saw her, I know I saw her," that's supposed to make you continue wondering, but doesn't.
Did this "work" in 1955? Yes, apparently. It got a ton of PR and certain critics raved. "Life" magazine, for one, did a spread on how "shocking" it was. The "don't reveal the ending" title card predated Hitchcock's "Psycho's" marketing gimmick by a few years -- when audiences routinely walked in during the middle of a film.
But there's a reason "Psycho" has withstood the test of time and rewards repeated viewings, and "Diabolique" is a cinema footnote.
With "Diabolique," you know EXACTLY what's coming -- and you're right. It's just a matter of seeing how cleverly, or not, Clouzot works it out. The "suspense," such as it is, lies not in any real emotional involvement with the characters and situation (because you already know where the film is going), but rather in how thrillingly it's going to be depicted.
Answer? Not very.
In other words, the plot was stale even in 1955. So the "suspense" lies in seeing if Clouzot can bring new life to a tale as old as Euripides.
Answer? No.
The actors? Wonderful. Particularly the young Simone Signoret. Vera Clouzot, the director's wife, borders on Garboesque beauty and is fine, except when she veers off into bug-eyed terror (too often).
"Psycho" has been criticized for its final "explanation" scene by the psychiatrist. By contrast, that's Shakespeare compare to this claptrap quickie ending.
What REALLY drives a stake through the heart of "Diabolique" is the schoolboy's last line, "I saw her, I know I saw her." Huh? This pseudo-profundity is supposed to make us imagine that maybe the lovers DIDN'T scare the wife to death? That she's actually still alive? To do WHAT? Get a divorce from this abusive husband like she should have done all along? "HAUNT" them from beyond the grave? What?
Answer? Nothing.
A lot of talent is wasted here on a third-rate plot with an insulting payoff.
Amazing this was ever considered much of anything.
It's not. "Diabolique" is a B-move posing as a French art-film "shocker."
Did this "work" in 1955? Yes, apparently. It got a ton of PR and certain critics raved. "Life" magazine, for one, did a spread on how "shocking" it was. The "don't reveal the ending" title card predated Hitchcock's "Psycho's" marketing gimmick by a few years -- when audiences routinely walked in during the middle of a film.
But there's a reason "Psycho" has withstood the test of time and rewards repeated viewings, and "Diabolique" is a cinema footnote.
With "Diabolique," you know EXACTLY what's coming -- and you're right. It's just a matter of seeing how cleverly, or not, Clouzot works it out. The "suspense," such as it is, lies not in any real emotional involvement with the characters and situation (because you already know where the film is going), but rather in how thrillingly it's going to be depicted.
Answer? Not very.
In other words, the plot was stale even in 1955. So the "suspense" lies in seeing if Clouzot can bring new life to a tale as old as Euripides.
Answer? No.
The actors? Wonderful. Particularly the young Simone Signoret. Vera Clouzot, the director's wife, borders on Garboesque beauty and is fine, except when she veers off into bug-eyed terror (too often).
"Psycho" has been criticized for its final "explanation" scene by the psychiatrist. By contrast, that's Shakespeare compare to this claptrap quickie ending.
What REALLY drives a stake through the heart of "Diabolique" is the schoolboy's last line, "I saw her, I know I saw her." Huh? This pseudo-profundity is supposed to make us imagine that maybe the lovers DIDN'T scare the wife to death? That she's actually still alive? To do WHAT? Get a divorce from this abusive husband like she should have done all along? "HAUNT" them from beyond the grave? What?
Answer? Nothing.
A lot of talent is wasted here on a third-rate plot with an insulting payoff.
Amazing this was ever considered much of anything.
It's not. "Diabolique" is a B-move posing as a French art-film "shocker."